Civil War Tours

On July 21, 1861, two untrained and inexperienced armies collided near Manassas, Virginia, bringing on the first major clash of the Civil War. The battle that followed was chaotic, confused, and remarkably hard-fought. First Bull Run also had an amazing cast of participants, many of whom would gain great fame in the coming years. 

Our tour follows the battle from start to finish, including Sudley Church, Stone Bridge, Matthews and Henry hills, with an optional visit to Blackburn’s Ford.

The armies that fought again on the plains of Manassas in August 1862 were larger and far better prepared than those that battled there the year before. Second Bull Run was a ferocious contest that inflicted over 20,000 casualties, cemented R. E. Lee’s reputation as a bold commander, and led to his climactic invasion of Maryland – an operation that was destined to become one of the turning points of the war.

Spend the day learning about this desperate battle, visiting such sites as Brawner Farm, the Unfinished Railroad with its ‘Deep Cut’, Chinn Ridge, and Henry House Hill.

In just one day of intense combat, some 23,000 American soldiers fell on the fields around the little town of Sharpsburg, Maryland during what remains the bloodiest day in U.S. military history.

Our tour takes place on one of the best-preserved battlefields in the country, ground made famous by the heroism of the men led by McClellan and Lee. Included are visits to landmarks such as Miller’s Cornfield, West Woods, Bloody Lane, and Burnside Bridge, among others.

No city has more Civil War history in and around it than Richmond, Virginia. We offer tours that focus on the 1862 Seven Days’ Battles – one of the turning points of the conflict – as well as points of interest within the city, including the site of Belle Isle prison camp, Hollywood Cemetery, and other places.

Tours will be one (Seven Days’ Battles only) or two days in length. Please contact us with your interests and we will create a custom itinerary personalized just for you.

Monocacy is often called “the battle that saved Washington.” In July 1864, Jubal Early’s Confederate army was pushing rapidly through Maryland toward Washington. General Lew Wallace assembled a scratch force along Monocacy Creek to slow them down and buy time for reinforcements to reach the capital.

Join us for this comprehensive battlefield tour, including stops at the Worthington and Thomas farms – scenes of intense fighting – as well as the Federal last stand on Georgetown Pike, and learn how Wallace, a Hoosier politician and future author of Ben Hur, fared against Early’s veterans in one of the most important small battles of the Civil War.

Best known today for the participation of the brave VMI cadets, there is much more to the story of the battle fought at New Market, Virginia on May 14-15, 1864. Commanders demonstrated extremes of skill and incompetence, daring and hesitation, in a battle that pitted two political appointees against one another; one would emerge with a burnished reputation, the other with a military career in ruins.

Our tour explores the battlefield in depth, including visits to many lesser-known or ignored battlefield areas outside the current park boundaries. New Market is an ideal subject for evaluating command decisions and leadership styles.